Paradigm Electronics Inc. has announced its first foray into the gaming industry with the launch of four new audio systems for gamers. The net result of Paradigm polls of industry press, gamers and even employees about the ideal audio system for gaming applications, this new series of affordable systems is designed to deliver dynamic audio performance optimized for gaming, as well as suited to meet the demands of movie audio and music playback.

Because the set-up of a particular room can be as varied as a person's taste in games, Paradigm created four different gaming audio systems to meet different price points and performance criteria. All of the systems start with the new Paradigm Micro (bookshelf) or Phantom (floorstanding) speakers, and offer a choice of adding a subwoofer for superior two-channel audio or surround and center speakers plus a subwoofer for a 5.1 surround sound experience.*

"Gamers are becoming more sophisticated about their A/V setups, with many utilizing their gaming consoles alongside other home theater gear," says Mark Aling, Paradigm's marketing manager. "We've created these new audio systems to sync up with a gamer's needs, but also to be flexible enough to handle the performance demands of movies and music. These systems fit all aspects of the emerging home entertainment lifestyle."

Paradigm's trademark WaveGuide™ technology utilized in the Micro and Phantom systems is designed to ensure a smooth and wide panorama of audiophile-quality sound, thus creating a larger "sweet spot" where audio sounds the best; with systems like the Wii, where the user isn't necessarily sitting still, this larger sweet spot is a welcome feature. Internally, the speakers make use of PTD™ pure-titanium dome tweeters with powerful oversized magnets that are ferro-fluid cooled and damped for better power handling. This helps provide realistic dynamics in first-person shooters and other action games. Injection-molded co-polymer midrange cones, oversized magnets and the rigid chassis in the bass-midrange drivers create more natural sounding dialogue and dynamics for bone-jarring explosions, while the timbre-matched surround speakers allow fluid and seamless transitions from front to rear speakers for an impressively immersive audio experience.

The differences between the Micro and Phantom systems involve power and stature. The floorstanding Phantom speakers are approximately 24 inches taller and 15 pounds heavier than the Micro bookshelf models. The Phantoms also feature three drivers and a maximum input power of 85 watts, versus two drivers and a maximum input of 50 watts for the Micros. Stands and on-wall brackets give the Micro systems more flexible placement options, however.